It is 10 am in Delhi, India and already 42 degree Celsius. The heat wave is unbearable. When temperatures are so hot and humid, the residents here turn to drinks that are cooling. One of them is Watermelon juice.

Watermelon is one the best diuretic available in the fruit world. The next being cranberries. Made up of 92 percent water and full of important electrolytes, it is a good thirst quencher during summer. The “Juiceman’s Power of Juicing” states that when you understand the benefits of watermelon juice, you can fully appreciate what is called the “juice advantage”. The reason being watermelon rind, both the green and white parts are very nutritious. They contain Vitamin A, potassium and zinc. Zinc is helpful in fighting impotency. It strengthens the body so that they are less susceptible to hernias and it cleanses the urogenital canal, as well as the kidneys and bladder while contributing to a healthy prostrate.

The winter in Toronto, this year is very cold and frigid. To me, winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is time for home and time for a hot drink like the ‘Badam Milk’ – an Indian version of Almond milk.

Almonds known in Sanskrit as ‘vatāda’ and in Hindi as ‘Badam’ is actually the seed of the fruit of the almond tree and like other fruits like peach, cherry and apricot bears fruits with stone like seed inside. The seed of the fruit is what we call nuts.

Apart from having antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, almonds are among the richest sources of vitamin E in the diet. Vitamin E is known to reduce our risk of Alzheimer’s, heart disease, cancers and also protects cells from oxidative damage. Ayurveda uses almonds as a brain tonic, for physical weakness, to improve quality of sleep, to treat nerve disorders and to tone up all the tissues of your body especially reproductive ones.

**Always soak any nuts or seeds for at least 6-8 hours before using them. Soaking helps the nuts/seeds release the harmful enzymes that cause indigestion and also increases their nutritional content.

The Badam milk recipe comes from the Sanjeev Kapoor Khazana cooking show by Chef Rajeev Sethi and it is delicious!!

Badam Milk Recipe

Ingredients:

Milk mixture

½ cup almonds

2.5 cups full fat milk (preferable unhomogenized)

1/8 tsp saffron

¼ – 3/8 cup sugar or as per taste

To powder :

20 almonds, raw, unsalted

30 pistachios, raw, unsalted

2o cashews, raw, unsalted

¼ tsp Saffron

½ piece of Mace

½ tsp Cardamom

½ tsp Turmeric powder

1 tablespoon organic Rose flower petals (dried) – optional

Method:

Soak the almonds in water for about 6-8 hours. Drain off the water, rinse the almonds thoroughly, and peel the skins.

Grind the almonds to a fine paste with a little water.

Bring the milk to a boil. Keep stirring so that it does not burn at the bottom.

Add the almond paste and continue to keep stirring until it is reduced and thickened a little.

Finely powder all the ingredients in the ‘To powder’. Set aside.

Add the sugar and the 2 tablespoons of the powdered nut mixture to the milk.

Continue cooking until the sugar is dissolved and then switch off the flame.